The Canadian projects with GE Hitachi's BWRX-300 definitely seem the closest to reality. But when I look at the promises:
> In 2019, GEH expected construction to start in 2024/2025 in the US or Canada, entering commercial operation in 2027/2028, and for the first unit to cost less than $1 billion to build. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BWRX-300
I can only think that they are completely over promising and committing themselves to under delivering. Three years to build at $3300/kW seems like exactly the same fantasy land that the nuclear industry has been failing to deliver for far too long. Just once they should try a realistic estimate and deliver what they promise. That would have an amazing positive effect for whoever did that.
Agreed on Fervo. For the 5% of countries with the worst sun and wind resources, something like that will be essential. And it will undoubtedly help the countries in the top 95% of wind and solar resources too.
>I can only think that they are completely over promising and committing themselves to under delivering.
That was the promise of BWRX-300. Nothing Novel, Nothing New. No Breakthroughs. Just use old and tired design techniques and shrink it to fit the definition of SMR.
> In 2019, GEH expected construction to start in 2024/2025 in the US or Canada, entering commercial operation in 2027/2028, and for the first unit to cost less than $1 billion to build. -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BWRX-300
I can only think that they are completely over promising and committing themselves to under delivering. Three years to build at $3300/kW seems like exactly the same fantasy land that the nuclear industry has been failing to deliver for far too long. Just once they should try a realistic estimate and deliver what they promise. That would have an amazing positive effect for whoever did that.
Agreed on Fervo. For the 5% of countries with the worst sun and wind resources, something like that will be essential. And it will undoubtedly help the countries in the top 95% of wind and solar resources too.